The Gnomes

The Gnomes are a small, rotund race native to Ecumene, making their home in the valleys and foothills of Southcentral Sahul, sitting between two great mountain ranges. As one of the Intelligent Races, they have achieved a high level of technology, intelligence, and society that not many other species have, although they are more than content to let others take the spotlight while they keep to themselves and their own livelihoods. They are one of the world's many Humanoid races, being genetically close to Humans, Elves, and Dwarves.   The humble Gnome is easy to miss in a crowd due to their height. A fully grown Gnome who may be as old as 100 years in age is only about as tall as (if not only slighter taller) than the average Human toddler. Due to this, Gnomes often struggle with reaching objects, but due to the square-cube law, they are deceptively strong. As muscle power is relative to area, not length, the compact form of the Gnomes allows them to get just as strong, or even stronger, than Humans if they train their muscles. On another note, the race has somewhat unusually flat and long feet, at least in proportion to the rest of their body. Due to this, as a Gnome is walking, they need to bend their knee farther backward than they otherwise would have, and while they have evolved around this, it still results in Gnomes walking with a high-stepping gait.   All Gnomes are slightly pale in skin color (similar to that of the real-life people of the British Isles), and while they can tan, it is rare. The most common hair color for the Gnomes is an auburn brown, but other shades of brown and even blondes are also quite common. Gnomes seldom have very dark or very light-colored hair, though. Most Gnomes have brown or hazel eyes, but green can also be found in lesser parts. As a rule, the Gnomes have markedly circular faces, a very small nose, and a slightly more prominent brow ridge. Like their cousins the Elves, the ears of a Gnome end in a point. The fat ears of a Gnome are shorter than all the other pointy-eared races on Ecumene, only being about four inches in length, but they are only very slightly inferior in special ability to those of other Humanoid races. This special ability is, of course, the ability of being able to easier pinpoint the locational origin of a sound due to its point.   Gnomes, like the other non-Human Humanoid races, sweat, but much less on average than Humans. While this is quite obviously a disadvantage, it does not affect the Gnomes as much as it affects, say, the Elves. This is due in large part to the short stature of the Gnomes. As their bodies are smaller, they both store less heat, and much less pressure is put on their bones and muscles, allowing them to stay a good bit cooler in the heat and giving them a nifty little stamina boost. This is not to say, however, it is as good as that of the raw staying power of Humanity, as they still reign solidly supreme in the endurance department. However, their small bodies mean that (as earlier stated) they cannot retain heat as well. While this is good in the overall mild climate of Southcentral Sahul, when the chilly winters come around, the Gnomes often struggle a bit. They have adapted for this, however, as while they can of course just put on more clothes, all Gnomes are a bit more chubby than their other Humanoid cousins. This is to give them an extra bit of warmth during the colder months of the year, but they must eat a bit more than other races to maintain this extra fat, though the often gluttonous culture of the Gnomes sees no wrong in this.   While their traditionally tubby form may fool you, the Gnomes have perhaps the quickest reflexes on Ecumene. While they aren't superhuman, they are around twice as good as that as their Human cousins, and a Gnome can catch, duck or even pickpocket a good bit better than other races. Interestingly enough, the nerve conduction speed of the Gnomes is almost exactly the same as that of Humans, but due to the far shorter distance it has to travel, resulting in the reflexes of a Gnome are the aforementioned two times as good as the other races. This is not to say they are incredibly agile, however, as they are not very fast, although they can sneak around fairly well due to their height and compact build.   Gnomes, aside from Humanoids themselves, are perhaps the most Human looking of all the races despite their different skull structure, with the sexual dimorphism of the Gnomes being almost exactly like the sexual dimorphism of Humanity, just scaled down. Males tend to grow pretty thick facial hair, and women of course have mammalian breasts to nurse their young. As members of the Intelligent Races, Gnomes can feel attraction to all of the other races, and can actually have children with Humans, with the children of the pair coming out as a crippled Halfbreed.

Gnomes have the same reproductive system as the other Humanoid races, but despite their shorter statue and shorter lifespan, they age almost exactly the same as Humans. A Gnomic woman has a gestation period of eight months. At birth, an infant is only about 10 inches in length, with it growing from there. A teenage Gnome is only about two feet or so tall, reaching their final height at 3 feet or more in their late adolescence.   A Gnome is an infant for around one year, and a toddler thereafter until around two. Gnomes are considered children until their twelfth year, and then an adolescent until 21. They reach seniority at around 65, with their hair beginning to turn white and their skin wrinkling as they progress into old age.

Gnomes are simple people who enjoy simple pleasures, so one of the favorite pastimes of any Gnome is eating. Boiling is the most common way of preparing meat within Gnomic culture, although they are known to also be fond of meat pies and hearty stews. Most Gnomic farmers raise some amount of sheep due to their many uses and general ease of raising, although unicorns and pigs can also be found. There are far more dairy unicorns than meat unicorns in the Gnomic lands, due in large part to the race's love of cheese. It can be commonly found on most dining tables, or just kept in a pantry for an easy snack. Interestingly, Gnomes do not tend to use too many herbs or spices in their cuisine, although things such as parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary can sometimes be found. In addition to sheep husbandry, many Gnomes grow vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, leeks, barley, rye, turnips, onions, chives, celery, and garlic. These are often added to the boiling pot with the meat to add some flavor to the dish, or cooked separately as a side dish. Porridge is quite common, and even beloved, within the Gnomic lands, with Gnomes often adding honey, sugar, or even savory meats.   Both sheep and unicorn milk are quite common, as is tea, but many Gnomes enjoy a small tankard of ale along with their meal. While it is pretty cheap to buy, many Gnomes have taken to brewing it in their own home as a hobby or to sell.   Despite their small bodies, Gnomes love to eat, and most meals are actually of a potluck style. In the race's culture, sharing a table with someone else is a sign of love, and friends and extended family will often take their meals together at one large table upon which each family can bring something of their own. Usually, Gnomes will only eat thrice a day, but on Third-Day and Fourth-Day (the traditional days of rest in the Empire due to the Trinitist faith's influence), they will eat four separate meals. While this may seem like too much to outsiders, Gnomes have big appetites, and being overweight does not have the same stigma within Gnomic culture as it does in other places. To the Gnomes, being fat means you're enjoying your life and harvesting the fruits of your labor. Brecwast (Breakfast) is the first meal of the day, held around the morning. A common Gnomic breakfast is usually made up of things such as oatmeal, bacon, mushrooms, fried bread, and sausage. Ail Frecwast (Second Breakfast) is only held on the aforementioned days of rest, being served around 10 A.M., and is made up of biscuits, scones, jam, breakfast pie, and tea. Cinio (Lunch) is usually served in the late afternoon and is usually made up of a hearty meat dish, bread, potatoes, vegetables, and cheeses. The last meal of the day is Swper (Dinner) and is traditionally made up of a stew that often has meat, potatoes, and other vegetables.

At last, an independent, united Gnomic state has been created. However, while technically a democracy, it is a far less liberal one than those found in Qadjik and Meridie. This is largely due to the immense power the traditional nobility holds over the government and the economy.   The Aethland of Dyffryu is divided into various shires, which are about the size of a county. A landed noble known as an Ealdorman both heads the shire's government and owns all the farmland within it, renting it out to those under him in a sharecropping system. While the revolutionary government would establish a system through which sharecroppers could be granted the land they rent, the pre-requisites for this are quite stringent, so while a class of yeomen is growing, it is dwarfed by the class of landless farmers. In addition to the Ealdorman, the various Gnomic villages within a shire can elect a Reeve to serve as the village's sheriff and judge (although he only tends to minor disputes), as well as their line of communication to the Ealdorman.   A deal between the Cymdeithas y Gnomau Unedig and the Temple of Nevernia (a radical Commonalist sect that dominates the area around the Nevern River) would establish the "Nevernite Free State" in the post-war. Among other special rights, the Free State is free of nobility, the closest thing being the village Reeves who have taken on Ealdorman-like power within their villages in the absence of said Ealdormen. Instead of sharecropping or yeomanry, the Nevernites practice a form of agricultural co-operativism.   In addition to their governmental traditions, the Gnomes also follow a traditional kinship structure. Each shire is the traditional home of a Clan, a symbolic marker of where you hail from worn as a badge of localistic pride by the Gnomes. Most Gnomic Clans recognize their shire's Ealdorman as their Clan's symbolic head, however, as Nevern has "disposed" of its nobility, the local Reeve is recognized as the head of a Nevernite Clan. Aside from presiding over local functions and the like, a Clan head has no real power, for, again, a Gnomic Clan is nothing more than a marker of heritage. Each Clan is identified by its own unique tartan pattern, a pattern which is often put onto a shawl worn during festivals or by soldiers heading to battle.

The Gnomes have a very unique naming system. When you are born, you are given a name, yes, but also a patrilineal family name separated by "o" from the name of their Clan, and even if the Gnomic family moves to the lands of another Clan, they retain that Clan name, although any new Gnomes born in the area will take on the local Clan name. However, with each year a Gnome is alive, they are either given or give themselves a middle name depending on their age. These "age names" as they are called, are not used commonly in conversation nor do most Gnomes remember all of them, but they are registered with the government and come from an ancient birthday tradition. These age names are often taken from relatives of the same sex as the Gnome, close friends, their local Ealdorman's family, or their spouse's family, and the names themselves are separated by hyphens. An example of a five-year-old Gnome's name would be something like "Selwyn Derec-Gwydion-Cayo-Bevan-Dylan Cadwallader o Kenrick" or "Gwendoline Myrddin-Mair-Anna-Olwina-Eryn Moor o Belling".   The names of the family of Ealdormen are similar, but they lack the "o" and simply have their Clan name as their surnames. An example of a five-year-old noble's name would be something like "Garnoc Huw-Geraint-Jac-Preece-Llassar Kenrick".

While the Gnomes are Commonalist, the majority of all Gnomes belong to the "Temples Of The Valleys And Steppes", a more conservative denomination of Commonalism that has been adapted to the more conservative culture of Sahul. For almost forever, the Gnomes have lived under a patriarchy, and while ideas of female modesty are less enforced than in Dwarven and Human lands, they are still there. Women are supposed to be the tenders of home and hearth, as well as gracious and dutiful hosts for those who visit. Of course, it is also quite taboo for women to walk the streets unaccompanied by a male chaperone or to engage in vices such as alcohol or tobacco, though such a thing is not outright banned. Men, on the other hand, are expected to do most of the physical work needed by the family.

As in other places, arranged marriages have fallen out of favor with the common person, although they are still practiced by the nobility. If a man fancies a woman, he will often invite her to share a meal, as doing so is seen as a supreme show of closeness. Once a couple is ready to marry, the man will buy two necklaces, akin to how most Trinitists use rings or bracelets. After the necklace has been presented to the bride-to-be, the marriage planning can begin.   Gnomic weddings are a fair bit different than those practiced by their Commonalist brethren in Sylvania. The ceremony will be held in a venue of choice, with the local Monk in attendance. As the families of the bride and groom gather, the Monk will be given the two necklaces, and the bride and groom will take up opposite positions from each other. To symbolize their love, the Monk will tie a ribbon around one hand of both the bride and the groom, connecting them, before placing the necklaces on their neck, usually to much applause. A large party will come after, in which the bride and groom will still be connected by this tied hand, and it is expected that they do not cut off the knot until the party is over and they are completely alone.

Following independence, the Gnomic people have been free to industrialize and modernize as they desired, not as the Empire demanded. While Dyffryu is still overwhelmingly rural, it has excellent railway connection, full telegraph connection, and all of its Designated Industrial Zones are electrified.

Gnomes speak a language known as "Gnomic" which is in essence real-life Welsh. This language uses an alphabetical system of writing known as "Runic", which utilizes 40 letters to form words and phrases, with the letters themselves looking quite like those used in the real-life Deseret Alphabet.

The Gnomes are a very polite people, accustomed to a life of simple rural living. Much like the Dwarves, their preferred greeting is a hug, although this is probably the only thing the two races have in common. Being rude to others, even as a joke, is seen as horrible manners within Gnomic society, although it is known that many Gnomes are quite gossipy. Manners as a whole are given much prominence, and it is a well-known fact throughout the world that a Gnome's door is never locked, as the Gnomic lands are supposedly a picturesque portrait of rural living. Of course, Gnomes face the bad parts of it as well as the good, but most Gnomes prefer not to talk about their own hardships.   As stated before, meals are incredibly important within Gnomic society, with sharing a table being seen as a supreme sign of camaraderie. You must never fill your own glass at a Gnomic table, as one of your tablemates will happily do it for you. It is also quite rude to leave the table until everyone else is done, more so than in other cultures.

Most Gnomes dress in a quite plain manner, as many cannot afford much more than that, and even so, most Gnomes see overly opulent clothing as overly boastful. Men often dress in a cotton or wool shirt, a brightly colored vest, a neckerchief, and a pair of trousers. As for male headgear, flat caps are popular among urban laborers, whereas blue bonnets are sometimes worn by farmers. However, there is no more famous a symbol of the Gnomic rural peasant than a large Phrygian cap with a high point, traditionally dyed red or green. Feminine dress is a bit more complicated. It consists of a bedgown, an underskirt, a shawl, a handkerchief wrapped behind the head, an apron, and Welsh hat (known in Ecumene as a Gnomic Lady's Hat) or cockle hat during the summer months. For the growing number of working urban women, though, this will not do, so they prefer to wear a dark bodice, a blouse, a skirt a bit above ankle length, and an apron. Interestingly enough, clogs are the most common type of footwear within Dyffryu and remain a commonly used symbol of Gnomic culture.   The style of dress that the Gnomic upper class prefers remains heavily influenced by that of the Dwarves, though there are differences. Ealdormen will commonly wear a bowler or trilby hat, and a full tweed suit made of a jacket, waistcoat, and pants, usually paired with a Tattersall or Gingham shirt and a tie. Alternatively, Gnomic noblemen may wear a Norfolk jacket or a Dwarven-style suit. Instead of clogs, Ealdormen will wear brogue shoes. Noblewomen forego corsets, instead simply wearing a Dwarven-style dress with a train and a low neckline, and often a wide-brimmed, straw hat (often adorned with feathers, flowers, or stuffed birds).   Most Gnomic men prefer to wear their hair short, but will also commonly grow small or medium beards. Women will wear their hair a good bit longer, often braiding it in a manner of their choosing.

Houses And Architecture
Most Gnomic families live in blackhouses, a type of easily made farmhouse. The walls are usually made of drystone or brick and packed with mortar (although they were once packed with earth). Wooden rafters would keep a thatch roof stable. The floor is usually made up of flagstone or packed earth, with a hearth generally being located in the center of the floor. These types of houses do not traditionally have chimneys, as the smoke from the hearth can leave via the thatched roof, although they have become common in recent years. Traditionally, animals and Gnomes would share the house, divided by a partition, although this practice is now extinct because proper barns have become cheaper to build.   The Designated Industrial Zones (the major cities of the Aethland of Dyffryu) are much different from this country ideal. They are cramped, dirty, and low class, their struggling people not living in these blackhouses, but in apartments and other residences built in a Georgian architectural style. The Ealdormen of the nation live in homes comparable in appearance to English country homes.   Music And Art
The idyllic Gnomic villages that dot the Southcentral countryside have long been a subject of paintings, with masters both foreign and native spending a lot of time in the region to truly get a feel of the place. However, music is also a big part of Gnomic culture, with traveling bards being a long-standing profession within Gnomic society, even to this day. They will often show up to the ever-popular country fairs, either playing in duos or in a group, their songs ranging from sentimental or sorrowful to fast-paced and comedic. Common instruments found here include fiddles, Irish flutes, tin whistles, uilleann pipes, harps, mandolins, and framed drums.   Sports And Games
Like in other regions of the world, rugby is the most popular sport. However, the Gnomes are a quite sporting people despite what one may think at first glance, as casual games are one of many ways a locality can get together and enjoy themselves. Other common sports or games include rounders, pêl-law, and darts (especially in the DIZs). The nobles can often be seen going to and betting on dog races, or playing golf on their estates.   Funerary Traditions
Gnomic funerals may seem odd, or even macabre, to some, but the reasoning behind them is fairly sound. When a Gnome dies, they will be buried in a white cotton sheet tied with flowers, but not in a cemetery. Instead, they will be buried in their planting field or garden as the local Monk watches to ensure proper burial. Just as they believe the soul will reincarnate, the Temples of the Valleys and Steppes believe that the body is best used to sprout new life after it has completed its mortal task.   Philosophy
Like the Tengu to their West, the Gnomes are a big believer in community and friendship, but in a very, very different way. While most Tengu firmly believe in cooperation between all, most Gnomes are happy with simple lives with a tight-knit community that works just as hard as it plays. This tight-knit community may encompass all Gnomes, but it does not encompass the Dwarves, the Men, or whoever else. The way the Gnomes see it, their culture is great and their way of life is the best in the world, and they do not need any foreigners ruling over them. While they may enjoy simple pleasures such as good food, a nice sunrise, and fine music, they are not afraid of fighting to defend their homes and the way of life they love so dearly. As of late, however, a rift has begun to grow between rural and urban Gnomes as they each grapple with the hard truth that their lives are not idyllic, but instead of addressing the inherent problem, the rural Gnomes decry their urban counterparts for living a life that they see as un-Gnomic, and the urban Gnomes decry their rural counterparts for refusing to do anything to alleviate the poor conditions within the Designated Industrial Zones and refusing to respect the more urbanized, rough-and-tumble culture they have created.

Offensive Slurs And Insults
Slurs for the Gnomes include "Halflings", "Valley Bumpkins", "Midges", "Doorstops", and "Keems".   Gnomes often refer to other races as "Biggers" or "Doublings".   Cultural Taboos
The Gnomes take great pride in their size, as to them, they're not short, others are just far too big. Because of this, most Gnomes cannot stand when others make mention of their size, with "Halfling" being an especially grievous slur. Being overly ambitious or neoteric is also looked down upon within their culture, as most Gnomes believe that the simple, (most often) rural lifestyle that their family and community have lived for generations is the most desirable. However, this is, as mentioned before, challenged by the growing urban population.   If it is requested that you share a table with someone and you refuse, this is seen as the greatest insult imaginable and is liable to start a blood feud. Blood feuds have long been a rather ugly staple of Gnomic culture, showing the dark side of their tight-knit and agrarian lifestyle. Once one has been declared for whatever reason, an entire family is embroiled in it, and the feud between two families can go on for generations. While they are seldom violent, they usually result in each family making the other family's life difficult by stealing things, vandalism, and general bad behavior. However, if a Blood Feud does turn violent, or even murderous, Gnomic law is quite soft on these events due to the significance it has within Gnome culture. However, a Blood Feud need not go on forever, and if both parties agree, a Blood Feud can be ended by the two families sitting down at a table for a meal together.

While Gnomes can ride llamas with a little help, the most common mount and pack animal within the Gnomic lands is the dog. Strange as it may seem, the Gnomes have become rather adept at breeding large, powerful dogs that when hooked up to a cart (usually in a duo) can do most things a horse or llama can. Most Gnomic families own a small pack of these large dogs to till the fields and transport both the Gnomes and any cargo they may have, though they are also immensely valued for their loving companionship. After all, they are a Gnome's best friend.   Gnomes and Centaurs have, since their conquest by the Dwarves, shared a strong sense of brotherhood. Both races are Commonalist and long struggled against the Empire Of Great Mountains before their eventual independence (which was, of course, gained together), so it is no wonder that many Gnomes consider the Centaurs to be a sort of brother race and vice versa. On the other hand, most Gnomes have a severe distaste for the Dwarves, as they have oppressed them for centuries, which is not something the traditionalist and communitarian Gnomes will soon forgive, although the wound has healed some due to the cordiality their state has with both Dwarven nations.